Sunday, April 17, 2011

Legal, the French Mural Capital of Canada

On our way back from our trip to Slave Lake, we stopped by in the small town of Legal, Alberta. The name caught our eye, but it turns out that it is not pronounced like the English word, rhyming with "eagle", but rather with its French roots in mind, to rhyme with "egale". Not only does the town have strong Francophone roots, but they have commemorated this heritage with a number of large murals scattered throughout the town.

Since we had a bit of extra time, we spent a little while exploring the town, and really enjoyed getting a sense of the town's history.



One of the town's founders was a cobbler, and apparently lived to be over 100 -- that is, into the 21st century.



Another of the town's first families, who apparently ran a hotel.



A homesteading family living in a sod house. This kind of house would have been dug a few feet into the ground, and sod would have been used for the roof.





This mural commemorates a famous botanist, who blended the Alberta wild rose with the Kamtchaka Rose to create a thorn-less version of the provincial flower.



This mural celebrates the role of ACFA (Association Canadienne-Francaise de l'Alberta) in the town, and in advocating for Francophone rights and issues in Alberta.


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